The cultivation of the historical performance practice has been a tradition at the Opera House Zurich since the performance of the Monteverdi Cycle in the 1970’s. During the following series of W.A. Mozart operas, which were directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Ponnelle, further pioneering work was accomplished and the musicians altered their playing techniques according to the latest research on historical performance practices.

In 1996 an independent ensemble was formed by first-class specialized musicians of the Zurich Opera Orchestra and soon obtained an excellent reputation. The spark that ignited the enthusiasm for new “old music” gave its name to the ensemble: "La Scintilla" - The Spark.

"La Scintilla" gives concerts with well-known soloists, instrumentalists and singers and performs regularly in the large concert halls. In autumn 2005 “La Scintilla” accompanied the extremely successful musician Cecilia Bartoli on a tour in North America and Europe during several weeks.

The Musicians

The members of “La Scintilla” are all musicians who have studied historical instruments and their adequate style of play intensively. The core of the ensemble is composed of members of the Zürich Opera Orchestra and of freelance international specialists, and additional musicians are recruited from both groups if necessary.